{"id":32571,"date":"2022-09-10T16:14:45","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:14:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/why-christians-should-celebrate-halloween\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T16:14:45","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:14:45","slug":"why-christians-should-celebrate-halloween","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/why-christians-should-celebrate-halloween\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Christians Should Celebrate Halloween"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By George Robinson<\/em><\/p>\n

October 31st. For most Americans, this date means one thing: Halloween.<\/p>\n

Considering all the costumes, candy, and trick-or-treaters, Americans spent more than $7 billion on the holiday in 2014. But should Christians celebrate Halloween?<\/p>\n

Many Christians have an issue celebrating what they believe to be a pagan holiday. Instead, they opt for a safe alternative at their local church.<\/p>\n

This allows church members to invite neighbors and friends to come to the church and eat candy, play games, and have some good, clean Christian fun.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d like to propose another alternative. I think Christians should stay home and celebrate with their neighbors.<\/p>\n

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Think about it: Halloween is the only night of the year in our culture when lost people actually go door-to-door to saved people\u2019s homes. <\/em>What better opportunity to show Christian hospitality?<\/p>\n

Living with missional intentionality means you approach life as a missionary in your context. I lived with my family in South Asia, and we had to be creative and intentional in engaging our Muslim neighbors.<\/p>\n

We now live in the U.S., but we still need to be creative and intentional. That\u2019s why for the past several years, we\u2019ve chosen to stay home and take advantage of the fact that Halloween gives us a unique opportunity to engage our neighbors.<\/p>\n

In fact, over the last few years, we\u2019ve had hundreds of children and adults come to our doorstep on that one night. And we were ready for them!<\/p>\n

Every year we set up a tent in the driveway and give away free coffee and water to the adults who accompany their children. We engage them in conversation and give each one a gospel booklet (\u201cThe Story\u201d booklets are a great choice).<\/p>\n

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See also  What Sparks Evangelical Generosity? Discipleship<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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We give away lots of candy and hundreds of pieces of literature, each with our name, email address, and a website where our neighbors can find more info.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I wish more Christians would celebrate Halloween this year by staying home and meeting their neighbors\u2014an option I believe is a great Christian alternative.<\/p>\n

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George Robinson<\/h2>\n

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George is a professor of Global Disciple Making and the Bailey Smith Chair of Evangelism at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n